Marshmallows
by Insomniac Owl
Summary: Half buried in snow and unable to stand, all Sasuke can do is wait. - pre-massacre -


**Marshmallows**

_By Insomniac Owl_

-

It was Saturday. The sun poured through his window in gentle waves, and he knew the instant he opened his eyes that it had snowed the night before. He was out of bed in an instant, scrambling across the floor and peering out the window that was almost too tall for him, his hair sticking up all over.

Through the frosty glass he could see the yard outside, pure white, and it was like magic. Everything was covered in glittering crystals, the trees draped in white cloaks; the ground blanketed in the shimmering snow, slight lumps signaling a buried object. It was absolutely breathtaking. He had to stand there for a full minute simply to take it all in.

But when the spell had worn away sufficiently, he raced to his closet and pulled out his heavy jacket, the one he'd moved to the front the instant his mother said it was winter-time in anticipation, and shrugged it on. A white scarf was thrown around his neck, and thick boots pulled onto his feet - the kind with a furry lining inside. He then pulled a woven hat over his ears and dashed down the stairs, skidding around the corner so quickly he nearly fell.

"Sasuke, where are you going?"

Itachi's question didn't slow him down in the least; in less than five seconds he had sprinted across the kitchen and thrown open the door, calling his reply behind him.

"Outside!"

The back porch was typically set atop two steps, but now those steps were no longer visible. There has been over six inches of snow the night before he realized - the biggest fall at one time for as long as he could remember. Granted, that was only about three years back, since he was only eight, but he knew that first snows were normally slushy wet messes. Not this perfect powder that had fallen over everything.

He grinned to himself, crouching on the edge of the porch where the overhang had protected it from snow, and pressed a hand into the powder gleefully. It was bitterly cold, but he held his palm down until he could stand it no longer, then tucked his fingers beneath his arm to warm it. When he had regained sensation in his fingertips, he stood to survey the yard from this new angle.

It was still a field of glittering snow, but from here it looked more fascinating. Like a maze almost, waiting to be explored. The small lumped in the yard - no more than a few inches high really - give testimony to the snow's depth, but still he leaped from the porch with a high shout of joy, that quickly became a yelp of surprise when he found himself thigh-deep in snow. He stood completely still for a few seconds, staring down at what of his body that remained visible, then fondly patted the surrounding powder and forged ahead, kicking snow from his path as best he could.

By the time he had cleared a few feet of snow it had begun to find its way into his boots, but he ignored it. He could worry about it later; at the moment he had more important things to do, like making it all the way across the yard. He was nearly a quarter of the way there, his tongue poking from between in concentration as he kicked snow from his path, then worked at the snow that had caved into the emptiness. It was hard going, but his determination kept him at it until he was halfway, where he took a short break.

He was a bit weary; his legs were beginning to tire and his breath came in large puffs of smoke before him, but he wasn't going to give up. There was something entrancing about being out in a first snow, when no other footprints marred the scene but his own, and it was cold and clear and everything was just so.

Sasuke took a deep breath, then stepped forward and thrust his foot into the snow to send it cascading down, clearing a small space. He stomped the loose powder down and stepped forward again, his foot disappearing thigh-deep into the snow for a moment.

He had already shifted his weight by the time he realized that what he'd stepped on had not been snow, but it was a bit too late to reverse his action. There came the crack of splintering wood, the sharp noise rending the air like a gunshot, and the next instant he was lying face-first in the snow, his ankle thrust through a wooden board set over a hole in the ground. There was now a small hole through the wood, just large enough for his foot to fit through; just small enough that when he tried to jerk his foot loose, the edges scraped away his skin and made him whimper.

"Ow…" He tried several more times, but with the same result. Scratches down his ankle, thin lines of blood and white skin scraped away.

"Nii-san!" He yelled toward the house, hoping Itachi could hear him, but he waited a few moments and there was no reply. He couldn't see over the snow piled around him, but he didn't hear the door opening, didn't hear Itachi coming.

"_NIi-saaan!_ Nii-san _help me_! I'm _stuck_!"

The silence he'd found so beautiful he now found frightening, because now it meant that no one was coming to help him. He tried to stand, but the wood refused to budge, cutting into his skin when he moved from his current position. Snow was stuck inside his jacket; inside his boots and pant legs, and he was shivering from the cold. It was so _cold_…

"Nii-san…" he tried feebly, barely aware of the wetness on his cheeks. "Nii-san!"

Sasuke paused then, tilting his head to one side. Had he heard the door squeak just then? Had Itachi heard him?

"Sasuke?" His voice was slightly muffled because of the snow piled around Sasuke, blocking the sound somewhat, but it was him. He'd heard.

"Nii-san!" he cried again, trying to stand an failing again. "I'm stuck!"

He heard the snow crunching, and then there were warm hands about his ankle, prodding at the wood, testing it. "Hold on," Itachi said softly, "I'll get you free." His hands worked methodically at the splinters, gently pulling Sasuke's foot from his boot and then slipping it through the wood. Sasuke stood immediately, trying unsuccessfully to balance on one foot in an effort to keep his now bare foot off the snow.

"We'll get your boot out later," Itachi told him gently - Sasuke had knelt to tug his boot free as well, with limited success. "Come on, I'll carry you to the house." Sasuke looked up, visibly shivering, and climbed willingly into his brother's arms. Itachi was warm against his shivering body; a welcome change after being submerged in snow for over five minutes, shivering and cold.

He buried his face in Itachi's neck, huddling close and listening to the gentle crunch of snow. "I'm cold," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his older brother's neck, Itachi's own adjusting their grip on him carefully.

"I'll make you some hot chocolate when we get inside," Itachi promised, the shift in his footsteps' cadence signaling a change from snow to cement. They'd left the yard now, left the snow that was both beautiful and, as Sasuke had found, dangerous. The door squeaked open, shut again, and he was gently set on the floor where he stood with his arms wrapped about him, shivering uncontrollably.

"T-there's snow in my boot, and my shirt, and my p-pants," he informed Itachi through chattering teeth, and his brother immediately began stripping him of the unneeded layers, laying each on the table as it came off.

"Sit on your feet and stick your hands under your arms," Itachi instructed, turning away to set a kettle of water on to boil. He had promised Sasuke hot chocolate after all, but besides that, it would help warm him up. "Do you want marshmallows?" he asked, pulling a bag of them from the cupboard and turning. Sasuke, he saw, had done as he'd directed, placing his feet beneath him and his hands under his arms, curled in upon himself for extra warmth.

He nodded, teeth knocking together. "Uh-huh."

Itachi dropped three large marshmallows into Sasuke's cup, then, taking a second mug from the cupboard for himself, dropped marshmallows into this one as well. After pouring a packet of instant hot-chocolate into each cup too, he placed one cup before Sasuke, cradling the other in his own hands and seating himself beside his brother.

"Are you warm yet?" he asked, glancing up. Sasuke was brushing coca powder from his marshmallows and placing them on the table, but he paused long enough to nod.

"Almost," he replied, though Itachi could still see his teeth chattering. "My feet are still really c-cold though," he mumbled, as if not wanting Itachi to hear.

A brief silence, then: "Come here," Itachi commanded. Sasuke rose without question, rushing over and climbing into Itachi's lap where he sat, pressing his shivering body to Itachi's own. Itachi took Sasuke's feet in his hands and rubbed his thumbs along their length gently, working warmth back into them. His toes were especially cold, near icy to the touch, and he kept his hands against Sasuke's skin until there was little difference in heat, until the cold had faded. Melted.

"Better?" he murmured, to a small nod.

"Uh-huh."

A small, tinny whistling reached his ears, and he glanced over his shoulder at the kettle, shifting his grip on Sasuke in order to set him down, but Sasuke didn't release the hold he'd taken on his neck.

"I don't think I need any hot chocolate Nii-san," he said. "I'm not cold anymore…"

Itachi smiled slightly, but set him down just the same. Adding the near-boiling water to both mugs, he carried them to the table where he set one before Sasuke, as promised, and took a careful sip of his own. Sasuke, he saw, had dropped his marshmallows back into the cup, and sat pushing them down and watching them bob to the top again.

"Are you going to drink it?" Itachi asked, voice laced with amusement. Sasuke nodded slowly, lifting the cup to his lips with the same concentrated care, as if he were observing something he couldn't afford to take his eyes off, and sipped at it slowly, holding the cup to his lips until the hot chocolate was consumed, and all that remained were the marshmallows, gooey and vaguely round.

"Can I have some more Nii-san?" Sasuke asked suddenly, looking up with a hopeful smile. Itachi nodded, setting his half-empty mug upon the table and reaching for Sasuke's, in which the marshmallows still sat, gliding from side to side on the residual liquid. Sasuke's chilly skin brushed his as the mug switched hands, and he quickly stepped to the stove, replacing the kettle on the burner. And as he leaned against it, watching Sasuke breathe on his fingers to warm them, he remembered the flutter of fear in his breast when he'd heard that tiny cry. It had emerged from the snow with no visible source, so small and pitiable, and _fear_…

For a moment he had feared.

Seated at the table a few yards away, Sasuke pressed his fingers to his cheek, delighting at the sharp contrast. They weren't so cold anymore, just chilly. The hot chocolate had helped greatly; just cradling the mug in his hands had done wonders. He mentally thanked Itachi for saving him, but, looking up at him, Sasuke saw a strange look on his brother's face, as if he were about to be sick.

"Nii-san?"

Silence.

Sasuke paused, unsure, then slid from his chair, taking three steps toward the stove and wrapping his arms around Itachi's waist, pressing his face into his clothing, reassuring himself.

"Thanks for saving me Nii-san…" he whispered.

And relief flooded through him when he felt Itachi's arms come up around him in return, holding him close and assuring him everything was fine.

"You're welcome little brother…"

**finis**


End file.
